Food at St Alban's

Due to the life threatening nut allergy of several of our pupils we aim to be a ‘nut free’ school.  Please do not give your child nuts or other food items that contain nuts (e.g. peanut butter, nutella) in lunchboxes or for morning snacks. Please do check the ingredients of food items included in your child’s lunchboxes.

School lunches for children in KS2 currently cost £3.20 per day for a main course and pudding.    All KS1 (Year R, 1 and 2) children are entitled to a free meal under the government's Universal Free School Meal scheme.  Some pupils may be eligible for income related free school meals, as detailed in the previous section.

Cooked meals are prepared in our kitchen by a Hampshire catering company (Hampshire Education Catering) which operates independently of St Alban’s School.  Therefore, it is essential that any parent wishing us to order a meal on behalf of their child (and who is not entitled to receive a free meal for their child as detailed above) pays for this in advance using our online facility (TUCASI). If lunches are not paid for, they will not be ordered from the lunch provider and parents will need to send their child to school with a packed lunch.

At morning registration pupils are able to choose their lunch option from a menu containing at least two choices (this includes a vegetarian option each day).   All school lunches need to be ordered by 10:00am.  If a child arrives at school after this time (due to a medical appointment for example) parents will need to provide a packed lunch.  Alternatively, parents may contact the school office before 9:00am to book their child’s lunch if they know their child will be arriving late that day.  During the Summer term, the kitchen offers a picnic lunch option which means the children can sit on the field and enjoy their lunch outside with those children who have brought their lunch from home. During the Winter months, there is a jacket potato option with a variety of fillings available across the week.

Special Diets

If a child has a specific dietary requirement parents will need to complete a Hampshire Education Catering ‘Medically identified Special Diets Request Form’ and provide supporting medical evidence. This needs to be done online here: https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/education-catering/parent-information/primary/specialdiets

Free School Meals

All children in EYFS and KS1 (Year R-2) are entitled to Universal Free School Meals under the Government scheme. More information about this scheme can be found here: https://www.hants.gov.uk/educationandlearning/freeschoolmeals/infants

Payment

School meals cost £3.20 per meal (unless your child is entitled to Free School Meals or Universal Free School Meals). School lunches are payable via your child's Scopay account which can be accessed here: https://www.scopay.com/login

We warmly encourage parents and carers to pay for school meals ahead of time (e.g., a week in advance) to avoid going into dinner debt on your account. If your child's dinner debt exceeds £10.00, our Finance Manager will contact you and ask for payment to be made. If your child's dinner debt is still unpaid after the reminder, you may be asked to provide your child with a packed lunch until the debt is cleared. Please contact Mrs A Richards (Finance Manager) if you require any assistance. 

Home Packed Lunches

If parents prefer, they may provide a packed lunch for their child. These must not contain fizzy drinks, sweets (including products such as ‘fruit winders’ or similar items) or any items containing nut products (due to the life-threatening nut allergy of some children in our school).  Please also include a spoon for items such as yoghurt.  

In addition, we encourage all children to eat healthily and encourage parents to follow the following Government guidelines when preparing a packed lunch for their child:

• Include one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetable or salad every day.
• Meat, fish or another source of non-dairy protein should be included every day. Non-dairy sources of protein include lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, hummus and falafel.
• An oily fish, such as salmon, should be included at least once every three weeks.
• A starchy food, such as bread or pasta, rice, couscous, noodles, potatoes or other cereals, should be included every day.
• A dairy food, such as semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais or custard should be included every day.
• Snacks such as crisps should not be included.  Instead, include vegetables and fruit (with no added salt, sugar or fat). Savoury crackers or breadsticks served with fruit, vegetables or dairy food are also a good choice. Meat products such as sausage rolls, individual pies, corned meat and sausages / chipolatas should be included only occasionally.
• Confectionery such as chocolate bars, chocolate-coated biscuits and sweets should not be included.  Cakes and biscuits are allowed but these should be part of a balanced meal.

Morning Break Snacks

Children may bring in a healthy snack from home to eat during morning break (fresh fruit or vegetables only, not items such as ‘winders’ or similar products).   These need to be brought in to school in a named container and put in the snack box in the classroom when children arrive in the morning.   As part of the Government’s fruit and vegetable scheme, children in Year R, 1 and 2 are offered a free piece of fruit or vegetable for their morning snack.  

Milk Scheme

In line with the Government School Food Plan we provide a milk scheme.  School milk is free for all children under five and the cost to parents is subsidised for children aged five or older.  Milk is also free for all children entitled to free school meals.  Parents who wish their child to have milk at school during morning break will need to register using the information provided in the information packs. Please ask the office for details.